Collect-Aire Curtiss Ascender - many photos - FineScale Modeler - Essential magazine for scale model builders, model kit reviews, how-to scale modeling, and scale modeling products

Luftwoller

Member since
February 2007
From: Bournemouth UK

Posted by Luftwoller on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 5:11 PM

Very nice build indeed. You say it gave you probs, but seriously, it doesnt show. Its a cracker. I was trying to remember where id seen it before, then i remembered,

...Guy

..'Your an embarrassment to the human genus, makes me ashamed to call myself Homo'.

Reply

fermis

Member since
January 2009
From: hamburg michigan

Posted by fermis on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:48 AM

Lucien Harpress wrote:

As far as I know the only remaining Ascender is still up here in Kalamazoo, at the Air Zoo (on loan from the Smithsonian). I've been trying to organize a trip over there to check it out, but as of yet have been unable to. I'm a sucker for the "this is the last one in existance" planes, so the XP-55 is a must-see for me.
Nice work on the model as well!

Save the trip for Oct. (10th, I think) for the contest!!! See ya there???

Nice build, I wanted to order the czeck offering along with a few others when squadron had them on clearance. Unemployment sucks!!!

Reply

Gordon D. King

Member since
May 2015

Posted by Gordon D. King on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:46 AM

Lucien is correct. The reason I didn't see it at the Dulles museum because it isn't there. After reading the post I did some searching and learned it is at Air Zoo. There are some excellent photos of it on line. Just type XP-55 in your search engine. It is on the web shots site.

Reply

Lucien Harpress

Member since
June 2003
From: A Computer in Adrian, (SE) Michigan.

Posted by Lucien Harpress on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 11:34 AM

As far as I know the only remaining Ascender is still up here in Kalamazoo, at the Air Zoo (on loan from the Smithsonian). I've been trying to organize a trip over there to check it out, but as of yet have been unable to. I'm a sucker for the "this is the last one in existance" planes, so the XP-55 is a must-see for me.

Nice work on the model as well!

That which does not kill you makes you stranger...

-The Joker

Reply

Gordon D. King

Member since
May 2015

Posted by Gordon D. King on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 9:54 AM

John I built the Czech Model version. I have the old Airmodel vacuum formed kit but when the Czech Model kit was released I bought it and built it instead. Even though the one I built is injection molded it was still a challenge to build because of the resin parts and vacuum formed canopy. I was at the new museum at Dulles a year or so ago but I didn't see the Ascender. I must have missed it.

Reply

yardbird78

Member since
January 2003
From: 40 klicks east of the Gateway

Posted by yardbird78 on Monday, April 20, 2009 11:48 PM

Very nice job on the A$$ender. I have always liked that plane, especially since all three were tested at Scott AFB. I spent the last 5 years of my USAF career at Scott and still live about 5 miles away. The one remaining airframe used to be at the Paul Garber restoration facility in Maryland. I assume that it has been moved to the new NASM museum at Dulles.

Darwin, O.F. Alien [alien]

,,

The B-52 and me, we have grown old, gray and overweight together.

Reply

jeaton01

Member since
December 2002
From: Northern California

Posted by jeaton01 on Monday, April 20, 2009 11:10 PM

Harv, the nose gear is white metal and the fit to the nose wheel is a bit loose, so it sorta depends on which way the wind is blowing.

Gordon, did you build the Collect-Aire kit?. I like the ones I've built so far, but I'm often ready for a Tamiya kit to be next in line after any resin kit.

Thanks for the kind comments, all. In my mind this one is fine because of the subject matter, but there are parts I wish I had had more patience on. But then there usually is.

John

To see build logs for my models: http://goldeneramodel.com/mymodels/mymodels.html

Reply

dirtball

Member since
September 2007
From: galt, ca.

Posted by dirtball on Monday, April 20, 2009 7:32 PM

Cool! You`ve been a buissy boy lately! The only prob I see is the front landing gear is a little tilted, but other than that a nice build

. Thanks for the posts, John.......Harv

"I once shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I`ll never know!"

Reply

rjkplasticmod

Member since
February 2003
From: A Spartan in the Wolverine State

Posted by rjkplasticmod on Monday, April 20, 2009 8:00 AM

Very nice build of a rare Bird. Thanks for sharing.

Regards, Rick

RICK

At My Age, I've Seen It All, Done It All, But I Don't Remember It All...

Reply

Gordon D. King

Member since
May 2015

Posted by Gordon D. King on Sunday, April 19, 2009 11:20 PM

You did a very nice job on the Ascender. I made this model about a year ago. It was a challenge but I like to make models of the unusual airplanes so this was a fun build for me.

Reply

vetteman42

Member since
July 2008
From: USA California

Posted by vetteman42 on Sunday, April 19, 2009 11:07 PM

A very nice build John, and a very unusual subject too. Many thanks for sharing it. I have to google this one.

Randy So many to build.......So little time

Reply

Daywalker

Member since
September 2003
From: South Central Wisconsin

Posted by Daywalker on Sunday, April 19, 2009 10:44 PM

Nicely done John! Sounds like a difficult build, but you pulled it off nicely. Thumbs Up [tup]

Frank

Reply

jeaton01

Member since
December 2002
From: Northern California

Collect-Aire Curtiss Ascender - many photos

Posted by jeaton01 on Sunday, April 19, 2009 10:26 PM

This is the 1/48 Collect-Aire resin kit of the XP-55, built for the Fantasy Flyers GB. Not many parts to it, white metal landing gear. The wheels were not too well formed and had pinholes to deal with. Shape and panel line detail seems very good according to the few references I have. 3 were built, two were lost in crashes, one in an airshow at Wright Field, killing the combat veteran flying it. Another concept that looked good on paper but failed when turned into hardware. Someday I'll conquer a vacform canopy, but not on this one. Not bad but just not there.